White House TV pool announces boycott in solidarity with banned

Four networks just announced they're boycotting White House coverage because President Trump banned CNN from the press pool. ABC, CBS, NBC, and even Fox News signed onto a joint statement saying they'll stand with CNN. So the people who cover the president are protesting by not covering the president. That's a strange way to prove their relevance.

The ban itself was modest. CNN still exists, still broadcasts, still asks tough questions. Trump simply doesn't want that particular outlet occupying the front row. That's a call every administration makes, whether the press likes it or not. The networks walking out aren't protecting press freedom. They're punishing the people who watch them because the president didn't treat one of their corporate siblings with the deference they feel they're owed.

What this really shows is how the press pool treats access as a possession rather than a privilege. The chair isn't theirs by right. It's granted by the president, and it can be revoked. Refusing to cover the White House just guarantees their audiences get less information, while Trump speaks directly to the country through other channels. The tantrum is a gift to him. They didn't start a movement. They just made themselves less useful.